The Cathedral of St James in Sibenik, Dalmatia, Croatia
4.0 (1.129 reviews) Spent Ranking #3 in Sibenik-Knin County Historic Sites • Churches & Cathedrals
2000 UNESCO Cathedral.
We visited this 2000 UNESCO site today, arriving after the 9 AM service on a cloudy morning. After paying 30 kn each, we walked the bland gloomy interior to inspect its high points; 1589 bishop tomb, 105’ high dome, and the lacy ceiling of the 1473 baptistery. We had taken exterior photos of the Main Portal, Lion Portal, rows of the sculpted heads to the baptistery in yesterday’s afternoon sun. Our tickets included the new Interpretive Center where we spent more time reading the 3 floors of exhibits detailing the 104 year construction of this cathedral, including the primary builders, financial difficulties of raising 80,000 ducats, and the multi-stage process of sculpting solid stones into a row of faces. We strolled the nearby cobbled medieval streets/alleys where “Arya” wandered and fought when blind in several “Game of Thrones” scenes.
Address
Trg Republike Hrvatske Sea Promenade, Sibenik 22000 Croatia
Website
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/963
Current local date and time now
Saturday, April 27, 2024, 16:18
User Ratings
4.0 based on (1.129 reviews)
Reviews
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5John L 5:00 PM Jan 19, 2023
Excellent Visit To Sibenik Old Town
We had a very intesting tour of Sibenik, to include the Unesco protected, very unique St. James Cathedral. it is a must see. There are many carved figures on the columns outside. They were all carved into the stone. Inside there are many beautiful paintings and displays. Construction of the church lasted from 1431 to 1536. WOW!!
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4Steve_of_N21 5:00 PM Sep 25, 2022
Impressive building but interior is fairly plain by Cathedral standards
The exterior of this gothic renaissance stone cathedral is certainly impressive and worth a visit especially for some of the masonry work such as the very impressive Lion Gate and if you are on a guided tour of this UNESCO heritage site they will explain the significance of some of the 71 stone heads adorning the structure. Built of local sandstone the building looks it’s best in the late afternoon sun and as others have mentioned the northern staircase to the square opposite ( the one that leads up to the Michelin star restaurant ) is the best place to catch its most impressive vista at this time. I would probably still recommend spending the 40kn to go inside but primarily because it includes entrance to the new interpretive centre a short walk away which gives a lot of good information on the history of the Cathedral. By cathedral standards the interior is not that impressive and in line with what you would find in most regional Italian towns, but there are some good points such as the small baptistery, which is well worth a visit, and the stained glass windows above the alter, especially if the sun is streaming through them.
